tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50384825513144282212018-03-05T23:52:30.443-08:00Unite and ConquerThe divide and conquer stuff is getting too old.Nida Chowdhry http://www.blogger.com/profile/08131853863650700732noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5038482551314428221.post-37978089491973888232009-11-11T01:37:00.000-08:002009-11-11T01:38:27.607-08:0024 Hours in Gaza: A Black Perspective<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%">24 Hours in Gaza: A Black Perspective </p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%">by Russell Curry</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:200%">On July 15, 2009 200 men and women from cities all over the United States entered one of the most dangerous places on earth and one of the final vestiges of colonial rule in the world; the Gaza Strip, Palestine. I was lucky enough to be one of them as a member of the Viva Palestina USA aid convoy under the leadership of British MP and pro-Palestinian activist George Galloway. The convoy had a jointly political and humanitarian mission: break the Israeli siege – considered illegal under international law – currently engulfing the territory of Gaza and deliver desperately needed medicine and medical supplies to the Palestinian people who are deprived of their most basic necessities. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 200%"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>With a population of nearly 1.5 million, the Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated places in the world. The aforementioned siege denies basic goods and services from entering while at the same time denying Palestinians from leaving, and has consequently earned the Gaza Strip the title of the world’s largest, open-air prison. This illegal, ongoing humanitarian crime maintained by the Apartheid, Zionist state of Israel, which has committed more violations of United Nations resolutions than any other country, is able to survive mostly because of aid paid to Israel in the form of United States tax dollars and weapons<a style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1" href="file:///C:/Users/Russ/Documents/24%20Hours%20in%20Gaza.doc#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US; mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">[1]</span></span></span></span></a> combined with an American public misinformed by Israel-biased media.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:200%">During my time as a student-activist at UCI as a member of Afrikan Student Union, Umbrella Council, etc. I gained an immense desire to learn about struggles for social justice and human rights worldwide, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Nowhere was this more obvious and familiar to me than in Israel/Palestine. The product of a largely untold political history<a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn2" href="file:///C:/Users/Russ/Documents/24%20Hours%20in%20Gaza.doc#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US; mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">[2]</span></span></span></span></a>, the struggle of the Palestinian people against their Zionist oppressors<a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn3" href="file:///C:/Users/Russ/Documents/24%20Hours%20in%20Gaza.doc#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US; mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">[3]</span></span></span></span></a> is part Manifest Destiny – land stolen from indigenous peoples and (mistakenly) justified with a supposed divine right to it – and part Jim Crow – a segregated system where Palestinians aren’t allowed citizenship or access to the same resources as their Israeli neighbors. Is it surprising that the architect of these two systems of domination, the United States, would be the world’s strongest supporter of their continuation in the world? But we’re past all of that, right? After all, we have a Black President. At any rate, when I understood the nature of the oppression of the Palestinian people, I knew that for me to be an activist at home for the sake of Black people meant that I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">must</i> be an activist abroad as well for the sake of the Palestinian people. I signed up to join the Viva Palestina USA convoy as soon as I had the chance. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 200%"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>I arrived in Cairo, Egypt on July 5, 2009 to start preparing for our humanitarian mission along with those 200 other remarkable people I mentioned earlier. During our stay in Cairo I saw the pyramids, the Nile River, joined a press conference for the convoy, met victims of Israeli violence in Cairo’s Palestine Hospital, helped buy medical supplies and so much more. But something I took to myself was personally documenting why other Black activists joined the convoy, since I knew the community back home was so divided on the issue if they knew anything about it at all. In my various video interviews I found that almost everyone was there for the same reason that I was, because the struggle was so similar to our own that we couldn’t just sit idly by. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:200%">Black activists were about 10% of the convoy, almost representative of the nation’s makeup of 12% African-American, but, more importantly the actual on-the-ground leadership of the convoy was Black people! The two unspeakably admirable individuals that MP Galloway placed in charge were former Congresswoman, Presidential candidate and outspoken human rights activist Cynthia McKinney<a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn4" href="file:///C:/Users/Russ/Documents/24%20Hours%20in%20Gaza.doc#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US; mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">[4]</span></span></span></span></a> and former Black Panther and current New York City Councilman Charles Baron. Not enough can be said about their contribution to the convoy or how much they’ve inspired me personally. These two were the ones who negotiated our entry into Gaza with the Egyptian government and led us through with flying colors. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:200%">Our reception was warm and affectionate. The besieged people of Gaza, elated that we were there to show our solidarity, showed us hospitality that most think is reserved for royalty. Amid destruction that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">we sponsored</i> we were provided amenities that many Gazans themselves enjoy rarely if at all, and were told so insistently to take, though we came only to give. But to them we did, and we were often reassured that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">we</i> were the gift, not the medical supplies, and that we would have been welcomed just as warmly had we brought nothing but ourselves and our intentions. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:200%">I came face to face with true oppression. I saw with my own eyes the mosques, homes, farms and the UN and American schools that were annihilated; the evidence of war crimes against Israel. I met and talked with the people who have lived through all of the facts, numbers and news stories that I obsessed over for a year prior to leaving. All of this I experienced in 24 hours in the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen of the 10 countries I’ve been lucky enough to visit. But this is only part of the story.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:200%">Those of us who went now have the duty of informing the world of what we saw and what we experienced, to balance out the bias. But this is just a first step toward a free Palestine because actions must have a foundation of knowledge. I hope that the little bit of work I have done, and will continue to do, contributes to the eventual goal. Viva, viva Palestina!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in;line-height:200%"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 200%">All Sources for factual claims can be found at Anna Baltzer’s website (annainthemiddleeast.com) as well as in the documentary <u>Occupation: 101<o:p></o:p></u></p> <div style="mso-element:footnote-list"><br /> <hr align="left" size="1" width="33%"> <div style="mso-element:footnote" id="ftn1"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn1" href="file:///C:/Users/Russ/Documents/24%20Hours%20in%20Gaza.doc#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US; mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">[1]</span></span></span></span></a> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:150%">The United States gives more money each year in foreign aid to the state of Israel than the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">entire</i> continent of Africa.</span></p> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div style="mso-element:footnote" id="ftn2"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn2" href="file:///C:/Users/Russ/Documents/24%20Hours%20in%20Gaza.doc#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">[2]</span></span></span></span></a> Contrary to popular belief, the origins of today’s Israel/Palestine conflict are indeed political and not religious and only really date back to 1948.</p> </div> <div style="mso-element:footnote" id="ftn3"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn3" href="file:///C:/Users/Russ/Documents/24%20Hours%20in%20Gaza.doc#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">[3]</span></span></span></span></a> It is important to note that Zionism – supporting the establishment of the state of Israel – and Judaism are two different things. One cannot be labeled anti-Semitic simply for critiquing the state of Israel, nor is it the stance of all Jews that Israel even has a right to exist. </p> </div> <div style="mso-element:footnote" id="ftn4"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 200%"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn4" href="file:///C:/Users/Russ/Documents/24%20Hours%20in%20Gaza.doc#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US; mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">[4]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:200%">Ms. McKinney was deported from an Israeli prison not a week earlier for attempting to bring supplies by boat to the people of Gaza. Her dedication to Palestinian human rights nearly cost her her life on two separate occasions at the hands of the Israeli navy. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div></div>Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07599624839987019124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5038482551314428221.post-91089206042872513812009-08-20T18:09:00.003-07:002009-08-20T18:09:41.663-07:00It's TimeCheck out the link:<br /><a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-gordon20-2009aug20,0,1126906.story">http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-gordon20-2009aug20,0,1126906.story</a><br /><br />Great story about the international movement to boycott IsraelRussellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07599624839987019124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5038482551314428221.post-60853283696529317982009-02-26T09:51:00.000-08:002009-02-26T09:52:18.178-08:00The Connection Between Blacks As Apes And Police BrutalityTaken from jackandjillpolitics.com by Jack Turner.<br /><br /><br />Talking on television is always a challenge cause you’re trying to get out your points in the very limited amount of time the medium allows. I was trying to get a few more details into <a href="http://www.jackandjillpolitics.com/2009/02/jack-turner-schools-them-on-msnbcs-1600-pennsylvania-avenue/">my MSNBC appearance</a> yesterday but didn’t get it all out. I mentioned that a psychologist at UCLA <a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview ('/outbound/www.physorg.com');" href="http://www.physorg.com/news123944737.html">has studied the link between seeing blacks as apes, monkeys, etc and treating them brutally</a>. In addition, he has expanded this work to encompass deep academic research into the causes of police discrimination and brutality. This is the connection I was able to draw in my closing line on air, but I didn’t have time to give full references.<br />Now, I’ll do you one better. The psychologist is <a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview ('/outbound/www.psych.ucla.edu');" href="http://www.psych.ucla.edu/faculty/faculty_page?id=147&amp;area=7">Dr. Phillip A. Goff</a>. I actually attended undergrad with him which is why I’m familiar with his work. He’s been putting me on to his analysis and the applications of his research for years, and I’m finally in a position to help bring it to a larger audience. He was the first person I called after I saw the cartoon, and the timing around this cartoon, the Oscar Grant murder and upcoming events next week could not provide a better introduction to his work.<br />In short, what Dr. Goff and his colleagues have found is a clear connection between the psychology of racism and real harm to black people. Further, they have been working with police departments across the nation to study their records, analyze their people and adjust their training in order to save the lives of black people and improve the effectiveness of policing. This is truly where the academy meets the streets.<br />Next week in NYC, on February 26, there will be a <a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview ('/outbound/www.russellsage.org');" href="https://www.russellsage.org/news/CPLESummit">summit on racial and gender bias in policing</a> and the need to expand these studies and their remedies. Here’s an article Dr. Goff wrote yesterday in response to the NY Post cartoon. I strongly urge you to read the entire thing and follow the links.<br />Little Things Are Still a Big Deal<br />By: <a title="written by" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview ('/outbound/www.miller-mccune.com');" href="http://www.miller-mccune.com/about/profile/485">Phillip Atiba Goff</a><br /><a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview ('/outbound/www.miller-mccune.com');" href="http://www.miller-mccune.com/about/profile/485" target="_blank">I</a> cannot imagine that 10 minutes passed from the time it first appeared online to the time my phone rang early this morning. The New York Post had published a (now controversial) cartoon depicting two police officers that had shot a monkey — one of them quipping, “They’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill.”<br />The cartoon — you see it <a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview ('/outbound/nbm.typepad.com');" href="http://nbm.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451b8c069e2011278f9ab1028a4-popup" target="_blank">here</a> — was clearly referencing the recent odd-ball news item, that a woman from Stamford, Conn., had been <a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview ('/outbound/www.google.com');" href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jvlkKth37Fp__GL6KYdl2b1s6dBgD96DNV5G0" target="_blank">mauled by her pet chimpanzee</a> and that the animal had to be “put down,” as it were, to preserve public safety. But the political commentary seemed an odd juxtaposition to the visual. Could the cartoon have been suggesting that Barack Obama, principal champion of the bill and our first black president, was somehow chimp-like?<br />Though much of the reaction to the cartoon has been outrage at the implication that our 44th president is remotely simian, there have been other messages in the blogosphere as well. A few pleaded with us to see reason in this post-Obama era. They begged us to understand that the cartoonist clearly meant to impugn congress, Wall Street executives and academic economists and that there was no racial subtext to the piece. Others saw the cartoon as racist but declined to become outraged. Saw the injustice in the image, but saw it as a minor injustice, not one worth worrying too much about. After all, having a black president means that America is post-racial and does not need to worry about petty things like harmless pictures in a paper.<br />The messages in my inbox mirrored the commentaries I saw online. A few (though not many) defending the cartoon. Many more exasperated with indifference. All of them insisted this was a little thing.<br />The best science available suggests otherwise.<br />For the better part of the past seven years, my colleagues and I have conducted research on the psychological phenomenon of dehumanization. Specifically, we have examined <a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview ('/outbound/www.miller-mccune.com');" href="http://www.miller-mccune.com/article/242" target="_blank">cognitive associations</a> between African Americans and non-human apes. And the association leads to bad things. When we began the research, we were skeptical of whether or not participants even knew that people of African descent were caricatured as ape-like — as less than human — throughout the better part of the past 400 years. And, in fact, many were not. However, even those who were unaware of this historical association demonstrated a cognitive association between blacks and apes. That is, when they thought of apes, they thought of blacks and vice versa — when they thought of blacks, they thought of apes.<br />But the fact of this cognitive association was not the most disturbing part of the research. Rather, it was the fact that the association between blacks and apes could lead to violence.<br />In one study, participants who were made to think about apes were more likely to support police violence against black (but not white) criminal suspects. The association actually caused them to endorse anti-black violence. Most disturbing of all, however, was a study of media coverage and the death penalty. Looking at a sample of death-eligible cases in Philadelphia from 1979 to 1999, the more that media coverage used ape-like metaphors to describe a murder trial (i.e. “urban jungle,” “aping the suspects behavior,” etc.) the more likely black suspects, but not white suspects were to be put to death.<br />Not surprisingly, black suspects were much more likely to be described in ape-like terms. And they were more frequently executed by the state.<br />Similar psychological mechanisms of discrimination are at work in the bloated incarceration rates of young black men, the trenchant educational achievement gap between blacks and whites, and the racial bias evidenced in law enforcement officer’s use of force. Though some are demonstrating leadership towards equality, we find that many of our nation’s oldest racial shames have persisted into a period when a black person can reasonably aspire to the highest office in the land.<br />I mention these depressing findings because it is tempting to ignore them in the wake of President Obama’s inauguration — to downplay the significance of “isolated events” of bigotry and “harmless words or pictures.” But precisely because the dream of post-raciality is seductive for so many, it is all the more important that we not forget that cartoons like the one in today’s New York Post are never isolated-and consequently, never harmless.<br />Today’s Post cartoon is not far removed from the “Curious George” Obama sock puppet, a <a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview ('/outbound/www.miller-mccune.com');" href="http://www.miller-mccune.com/article/you-can-t-keep-that-simian-stereotype-down" target="_blank">“Curious George” Obama T-shirt</a>, a Japanese advertisement depicting Obama as a monkey, and countless other Obama/monkey comparisons that cropped up throughout the year-long Democratic primary and presidential campaigns. Psychological science has long known that words and pictures, far from harmless, can be the very instruments of dehumanization necessary for collective violence-regardless of how innocently they are intended.<br />As we live through this historic presidency, there will doubtless be more of these moments of impolitic insensitivity. Some will be more egregious than others. But, as a scientist, my sincerest hope for us all is that we not be biased by the desire to see our struggle towards racial equality as over. The evidence is too clear that the little things are still a big deal.<br />* * *<br /><a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview ('/outbound/www.miller-mccune.com');" href="http://www.miller-mccune.com/about/profile/485" target="_blank">Phillip Atiba Goff</a> is an assistant professor on the department of psychology at the University of California and the executive director of research for the <a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview ('/outbound/cple.psych.ucla.edu');" href="http://cple.psych.ucla.edu/" target="_blank">Consortium for Police Leadership in Equity</a>. The consortium is hosting the first <a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview ('/outbound/www.russellsage.org');" href="https://www.russellsage.org/news/CPLESummit" target="_blank">Summit for Police Leadership in Equity</a> on Feb. 26 in New York City. High-ranking representatives from 15 of the largest municipal police departments in North America will be attending to discuss a new model for research collaborations that would — for the first time — allow independent researchers to gain unprecedented access to law enforcement personnel, policies and records.<br />Although the release of another racist cartoon can be seen as repetitive, annoying and a distraction, I’m glad at the opportunity this moment gives us. Usually, something like this goes down, we get fired up, maybe protest, threaten some advertisers and that’s it. What we’re trying to do at JJP and the broader “we” in this new generation of informed, networked activists, however, is bring more insight and intelligence to the discussion and ultimately, change the world for the better.<br />Please pass this post far and wide, especially to activists and those in the media. <a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview ('/outbound/digg.com');" href="http://digg.com/political_opinion/The_Connection_Between_Blacks_As_Apes_And_Police_Brutality">Digg</a> it, post to Facebook, etc.Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07599624839987019124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5038482551314428221.post-56067263511326154802009-01-30T22:10:00.001-08:002009-01-30T22:26:15.189-08:00Why is this okay?I have really been questioning the kinds of things that are let go and exploited in the name of entertainment these days. The honor and respect of men and women, the innocence of children, consumerism and the lifestyle that is sold to people, racism, sexism, classism, and the sheer amount of money that is invested in and generated from this crap, all for profit, money at the expense of humanity. Goodness.<br /><br />On a brighter note, this is exactly why people should stay dedicated in whatever field they are in, hold on to their moral values, and work for the betterment of all people God-willing! Si se puede si Dios quiere!<br />__<br /><br /><strong>Rights group: 1.5 million people displaced by preparations for 2008 Beijing Olympics</strong><br /><br />GENEVA — Some 1.5 million Chinese have been forced from their homes during preparations for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, a rights group said Tuesday.<br /><br />China rejected the figures from the Geneva-based Center on Housing Rights and Evictions as "groundless" and said some 6,000 families had been compensated and properly resettled.<br /><br />Some 6,037 households have been demolished since 2002 to make way for nine venues in the process of preparing for the 2008 Olympic Games, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said.<br /><br />Read more <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2007-06-05-3431055449_x.htm">here</a>.<br /><br />(Props to <a href="http://cwzymuslima.blogspot.com/">Zahra Billoo </a>for sharing this information and insight)Nida Chowdhry http://www.blogger.com/profile/08131853863650700732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5038482551314428221.post-40522283539989673522009-01-28T22:32:00.000-08:002009-01-28T23:17:42.699-08:00This just makes me sick:I really felt sick to my stomach when I read this:<br /><br />"It wasn't just one cop attacking Oscar Grant on New Year's Eve. A new video shows that before Grant was killed, officer Tony Pirone punched him in the face without cause, hitting him so hard that he dropped to the ground. Experts have called it criminal. So why has the District Attorney said he's not pursuing charges?"<br />-James Rucker, ColorOfChange.org, 01/28/2009<br /><br />Please sign this petition to have your voice heard in this matter:<br /><a href="http://www.colorofchange.org/grant/?id=1875-707419">http://www.colorofchange.org/grant/?id=1875-707419</a><br /><br />If this isn't a glaring example that our tax dollars need to be redirected away from wars and towards real, longterm solutions and investments (like education), I don't know what is. We have too many issues on the homefront, that's forreal.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />And this for-profit sh*t called capitalism really needs to stop.Nida Chowdhry http://www.blogger.com/profile/08131853863650700732noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5038482551314428221.post-80815815117721530412009-01-11T02:46:00.000-08:002009-01-11T02:57:26.619-08:00It's time for a...Change!<br /><br />I've never in my life felt a new year start with more promise or more potential to be different from every year previous than this year. I'm sure they've happened before, but not in my 21 years.<br /><br />With that potential for change comes sacrifice to realize it, and since different things need to be done to get different things to happen, I've decided to do things... well... differently. (Circular but logical, right?)<br /><br />Over the past couple of days I've been analyzing my habits and comfort zones and seeing which habits work for me and which ones don't. I realized that I really need to break some of these stupid habits that really are holding me back instead of just staying comfortable. In addition to this, instead of my previously overcritical, overly self-demeaning approach to changing things about myself and breaking habits, I've found a couple that are actually indifferent and, actually, DON'T need to be changed for me to be happy. That's pretty cool!<br /><br />I speak in vast generality so that you can maybe do the same for yourself and apply specificity wherever you see fit. It's gonna be a great and amazing year and there's no reason we should hold ourselves back from letting it be just that, we have enough out of our control to worry about as it is!<br /><br />In hope, solidarity, advice and triumph,<br />RussellRussellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07599624839987019124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5038482551314428221.post-88524388331465874512009-01-08T22:08:00.000-08:002009-01-08T22:32:07.896-08:00"Voices for Gaza": Post-Rally ReflectionsI feel pretty blank right now, no words coming to mind really, no passion spilling out on the page. Today was a lot of things, mostly synonymous to all things wonderful (all praise is due to God). Mostly gorgeous rays of beauty emanating from the unity. We* can always be better, but I think what we were today was awesome; because we put others before ourselves, because so many said "what can I do" and did what ever they could (no task was taken up with hesitation, nor viewed as miniscule or unworthy of one's time), because Gaza was in our prayers, because we cared, and above all else, we did the best we could to work together and get as many people involved as we possibly could. We dared to cross lines we hesitated to cross before, and that made this week all the more special.<br /><br />I pray that we don't get caught up or sidetracked by the small matters in life, and that we always keep things in perspective; that we remain in a constant struggle to remain humble and not lose focus by becoming arrogant or prideful; that we embrace truth and stand by it; that we remain steadfast and sincere in our efforts, and that this really was an open door, an opportunity to get together, to get to know one another, and to share each other's struggles.<br /><br />No step is small, we can start a movement in our own lives and lifestyles, a revolution of the mind, body and soul, we can make a difference, never underestimate the power of unity.<br /><br />I'm going to go to sleep now, but I look forward to getting right back to work for next week as soon as possible.<br /><br />Peace &amp; Blessings &amp; Love<br /><br />___<br />*We = EVERYONE who was involved in contributing their time, efforts, money, and/or presence for raising awareness about the horrific massacre of 780 and counting civilians in Gaza, 220+ of which are children. "An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (may he rest in peace)Nida Chowdhry http://www.blogger.com/profile/08131853863650700732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5038482551314428221.post-60889976539163063892009-01-04T02:38:00.000-08:002009-01-04T02:45:27.428-08:00Realizing how little control we have over our lives. It's a tough reality that's settling deep.<br /><br />One of the hardest things I've ever dealt with is looking into the future or looking back into the past and find myself staring point blank at a question mark.<br /><br />Learning to let go and drop this fear of the unknown is quite a challenge.<br /><br />I realize all I can do is do. To be. All I have is now, and clinging to whims and fancies of what may be has gotten me nowhere but stressing.<br /><br />It's funny how I have in so, so many instances and periods of my life, thought I knew what was ahead, or thought I knew myself. Each time, life unfolded in ways I could never have imagined or dreamed up in a million years. Each time, I found out how wrong I was in thinking I knew what was right for me, when God had other plans.<br /><br />It's hard to let go of what I've always thought and clung to. but it needs to happen now.<br /><br />I need to let go and move on with my life. To be in the moment, to make the most of the present.Nida Chowdhry http://www.blogger.com/profile/08131853863650700732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5038482551314428221.post-39692814535412425572009-01-02T21:45:00.001-08:002009-01-02T21:46:25.789-08:00What's going on in GazaAlso, to better understand the situation, here is an article by Richard Faulk about the events leading up to the massacre.<br /><a href="http://normanfinkelstein.com/article.php?pg=11&amp;ar=2338">http://normanfinkelstein.com/article.php?pg=11&amp;ar=2338</a>Nida Chowdhry http://www.blogger.com/profile/08131853863650700732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5038482551314428221.post-50894721266266401232009-01-02T20:53:00.000-08:002009-01-02T21:36:58.194-08:00Cynthia McKinney - Eyewitness Report of Israel's AttackSalams/peace guys and gals,<br /><br />Russell thank you for posting about Gaza, it's really important that we keep it on our minds and spread the word about this atrocious massacre.<br /><br />A couple things we all NEED to do:<br /><br />1) Keep Palestinians and all of the oppressed people of the world in our prayers; pray that the oppressors are righted in their wrong, and that we are among those who relieve the oppressed, and never those who remain silent in the face of injustice.<br /><br />2) Spread the word amongst your family and friends.<br /><br />3) Hop on to whatever local efforts are being carried out. Hit up the nearest SJP, MSA, or whatever it may be.<br /><br />4) Send a letter to our local representatives <a href="https://secure2.convio.net/pep/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&amp;page=UserAction&amp;id=233">here</a>. Call them at 202-224-3121. We can also find contact info for our Members of Congress by clicking <a href="http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/">here</a>.<br /><br />5) This one is from muslamics.blogspot.com: Send a letter to your local newspaper - click <a href="http://www.congress.org/congressorg/dbq/media/">here</a> for media contacts. Don't forget your first &amp; last name,phone number, and the city &amp; state you live in if you want your letter published.<br /><br /><br />And now, Senator Cynthia McKinney...<br />______________________________________________<br /><br />December 30, 2008: Oh What a Day! -from Cynthia McKinney<br /><br />I'm so glad that my father told me to buy a special notebook and to write everything down because that's exactly what I did.<br /><br />When we left from Cyprus, one reporter asked me "are you afraid?" And I had to respond that Malcolm X wasn't afraid; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wasn't afraid. But little did I know that just a few hours later, I would be recollecting my life and mentally preparing myself for death.<br /><br />When we left Cyprus, the Mediterranean was beautiful. I remember the time when it might have been beautiful to look at, but it was also filthy. The Europeans have taken great strides to clean it up and yesterday, it was beautiful. And the way the sunlight hit the sea, I remember thinking to myself that's why they call it azure. It was the most beautiful blue.<br /><br />But sometimes it was rough, and we got behind on our schedule. We stayed on course, however, despite the roughness of the water and due to our exquisite captain.<br /><br />There were no other ships or boats around us and night descended upon us all rather quickly. It was the darkest black and suddenly, out of nowhere, came searchlights disturbing our peace. The searchlights stayed with us for about half an hour or so. We knew they were Israeli ships. Who else would they be?<br /><br />They were fast, and they would come close and then drop back. And then, they'd come close again. And then, all of a sudden there was complete blackness once again and all seemed right. The cat and mouse game went on for at least one half hour. What were they doing? And why?<br /><br />Calm again. Black sky, black sea. Peace. And then, at that very moment, when all seemed right, out of nowhere we were rammed and rammed again and rammed again the last one throwing me off the couch, sending all our food up in the air; and all the plastic bags and tubs--evidence of sea sicknesses among the crew and passengers--flew all over the cabin and all over us. We'd been rammed by the Israelis. How did we know? Because they called us on the phone afterwards to tell us that we were engaging in subversive, terroristic activity. And if that if we didn't turn around right then and return to Larnaca, Cyprus, we would be fired upon. We quickly grabbed our lifevests and put them on. Then the captain announced that the boat was taking on water. We might have to evacuate. One of my mates told me to prepare to die. And I reflected that I have lived a good and full life. I have tasted freedom and know what it is. I was right with myself and my decision to join the Free Gaza movement.<br /><br />I remembered my father's parting words, "You all will be sitting ducks." Just like the U.S.S. Liberty. We were engaged in peaceful activity, a harmless pleasure boat, carrying a load of hospital supplies for the people of Gaza, who, too are sitting ducks, currently being bombarded in aerial assault by the Israeli military.<br /><br />It's been a long day for us. The captain was outstanding. Throughout it all, he remained stoic and calm, effective in every way. I didn't know how to put my life jacket on. One of the passengers kindly assisted me. Another of the passengers pointed out that the Israeli motors for those huge, fast boats was U.S. made--a gift to them from the U.S. And now they were using those motors to damage a pleasure boat outfitted with three tons of hospital supplies, one pediatrician, and two surgeons.<br /><br />I have called for President-elect Obama to say something. The Palestinian people in the Gaza strip are seeing the worst violence in 60 years, it is being reported. To date, President-elect Obama has remained silent. The Israelis are using weapons supplied to them by the U.S. government. Strict enforcement of U.S. law would require the cessation of all weapons transfers to Israel. Adherence to international law would require the same. As we are about to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday, let us remember that he said:<br /><br />1. The United States is the greatest purveyor of violence in the world, and<br /><br />2. Our lives begin to end the day we remain silent about things that matter.<br /><br />I implore the President-elect to not send Congress a budget that contains more weapons for Israel. We have so much more to offer. And I implore the Congress to vote "no" on any budget and appropriation bills that provide more weapons transfers, period.<br /><br />Israel is able to carry out these intense military maneuvers because taxpayers in the U.S. give their hard-earned money to our Representatives in Congress and our Congress chooses to spend that money in this way. Let's stop it and stop it now. There's been too much blood shed. And while we still walk among the living, let us not remain silent about the things that matter.<br /><br />We really can promote peace and have it if we demand it of our leaders.Nida Chowdhry http://www.blogger.com/profile/08131853863650700732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5038482551314428221.post-33019703947301023582009-01-02T15:11:00.001-08:002009-01-02T15:12:20.707-08:00Anna Baltzer on the Gaza MassacresPlease, everyone, stop what you're doing. This is not just any reportfrom Palestine, but the worst in my lifetime, the worst in 40 years.At this moment, Israel is raining bombs down on Gaza, an enclosed tinyarea that is home to 1.5 million men, women, and children, most ofthem innocent civilians. This space is tightly sealed by Israel, whichconstantly denies Gazans electricity, food, medicine, and the abilityto leave. Gaza is one big prison being bombed from above. The deathtoll is up to 428 in the past 7 days. That's more than the number ofIsraelis killed in the last 7 years. This is what I would call a massacre.<br />Yes, more Palestinians killed in 7 days than Israelis in 7 years, andyet no comments from President Bush or President-elect Obama.Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice places blame solely on Hamas forholding Gazans "hostage," as if Israel's actions were beyond judgment.Would Rice ever respond to a Palestinian attack on Israelis by blamingthe Israeli government for holding its citizens hostage with theirarmy's violence?<br />I am writing you from Jordan. I arrived the day after the attacksbegan. The day before they began, my friend and colleague Hannah hadasked me to deliver a book of poetry to her friend Summer in Gaza,hoping I'd manage to make it on a Free Gaza boat. Since then, theseboats bringing unarmed witnesses to Gaza (<a href="http://www.freegaza.org/">www.freegaza.org</a>) have beenattacked in international waters, and Summer's house has been blown topieces, her brother almost died under the rubble, and her fatherdesperately needs an operation but the hospitals are overflowing. Inevery home or shop I enter in Jordan, people are huddled watching thestories unfold: a family killed in their home, a university destroyed,a pharmacy blown to pieces, countless bloody babies screaming orworse, silent.<br />I wonder if people in the US are also seeing the bodies and faces or,as I fear, only some rubble and angry Gazans. The day after attacksbegan, Israel's largest newspaper Yediot Aharonot covered almost theentire front page with the words, "500,000 Israelis Under Attack!" Insmaller font, one could learn that in addition to 1 Israeli, 225Palestinians had also been killed. It was surreal. Consider where youare getting your news, and what is not being told to you.<br />For example, the stated purpose of the attack is to drive out Hamas,i.e. to kill anyone in Hamas and scare the rest into turning againstHamas. Not only does this tactic not work (brutality fostersviolence), but it clearly fits the definition of terrorism: unlawfulviolence intended to frighten or coerce a people or government inorder to achieve a political or ideological agenda. Israel isoperating as a terrorist state in the true sense of the word.<br />Hamas is also a terrorist organization by this definition, so it wouldbe easy to simplify the conflict as "an endless cycle of violence"were there no historical context. But there is a context, and thereare alternatives: Let us remember that Hamas was elected after anintentional shift away from violence towards a mainstream politicalagenda. Hamas stopped its attacks and began offering the Palestinianpeople an alternative to the corruption of Fatah. Hamas wasdemocratically elected and immediately strangled by a US-led boycott,preventing the government from functioning. Hamas continued to hold toits one-sided ceasefire (totaling almost 2 years), meanwhile the USand Israel began to train and arm the opposition government, Fatah,which they preferred. In response to plans for a coup in Gaza(anti-democratic takeover by the US-supported opposition government),Hamas secured its control (again, democratically-elected whether ornot we like them) over Gaza, and continues to offer Israel anindefinite ceasefire--no more violent attacks, period--if Israelsimply complies with international law. The Arab League (comprised of22 Arab nation members) has offered the same. These offers aredismissed by Israel and silenced in the US media. Israel says it hastried everything else, but it has not tried the most obvious:complying with international law and accepting repeated offers for apeaceful resolution.<br />As events unfold in Gaza neither the media nor the people are silenthere in Jordan, where people refuse to go on as if nothing werehappening to their brothers and sisters (sometimes literally--morethan 60% of Jordan's population is Palestinian refugees). Just one dayafter attacks began, the king of Jordan gave blood to send to Gaza andinspired hundreds of others to do the same (meanwhile President Bushwas on vacation in Texas). Spontaneous demonstrations have erupted atleast twice here in the capitol today, and thousands are protesting invarious major cities around the Middle East and around the world.<br />Please, wherever you are, do something. Write a letter to the editor.Get a large group to inundate your congressperson at once. Protest!There are demonstrations being organized around the US. If there isn'tone happening near you, then do what I would do: buy a poster-boardand large marker and write something on it ("Gazans Are People Too,""Massacre in Gaza: Silence is Complicity," "Our Weapons Are KillingPalestinian Children," or anything you can think of). Go outside andstand on a busy corner with it. Force others to confront the reality.Talk to people, invite them to join you. People around the world areempowered enough to take to the streets; we have no excuse not to. Thetime is now.Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07599624839987019124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5038482551314428221.post-76373497423535801932008-12-21T15:23:00.001-08:002008-12-21T17:20:21.558-08:00we are one because God is One“I think Muslims need to start looking at themselves as Americans. We need to start seeing ourselves as Americans, and, oh look, we also just happen to be Muslim,” Mr. Doug Burpee said in response to a question about what Muslims can do in America to progress as a community.<br />So I asked myself, as a Muslim and an American: what does this accomplish? Mr. Burpee, a well-respected Muslim figure in the community, argued when various minority communities living in America hold on to their identity via a label, Muslim American, African American or Asian American, it creates divisions. So maybe it erases these lines that we create once we all just call ourselves Americans. Does it though?<br />I asked Mr. Burpee, “Well, why can’t we just call ourselves Muslims? I don’t believe in nationalism. I think the very fact that we call ourselves Americans creates divisions.” But that would never work, because as humans we enjoy categorizing ourselves and others. The labels of race, class and gender will never leave our vocabulary because our society inevitably, and perhaps necessarily creates them. But people have different definitions of what being an American is. Well, it's only natural because we all come from different experiences and thus, we have different perspectives and struggles.<br />But how often do our struggles, as Muslim Americans, cross over with African Americans, Latino Americans and Asian Americans? We are united by these struggles not because we are all Americans, but because we all face the same external circumstances that are an infliction upon our inalienable and unconditional rights as human beings.<br />There are many different types of Muslims all over the world. The only thing that has ever divided us as Muslims, or any community for that matter, is nationalism and race, both of which are man-made and artificial concepts.<br />Islam is unique because God creates us into different nations and tribes so that we may know one another. Of course, it is natural for each one of us to love where we came from. Oftentimes, when I hear those who subscribe to right-wing, neo-conservative ideology, they say “Oh they hate us, because they are jealous of OUR rights.” This sense of ownership over human rights is dangerous. The right to freedom of speech is not by any means exclusively American. It is an inalienable human right. I am blessed to live in a country that should allow me to exercise my unconditional freedoms as a human being. I don’t have to be proud of being an American to love America. I love America because I have family, friends and memories here. And the government should let me have the freedoms that the constitution sets forth. They are not exclusively American rights, they are human rights and I am proud that I can freely exercise them.<br />Now, I believe that Allah gave us these human rights in the form of Islam, and that is why I am Muslim. The nature of the Qur’an is one of justice and peace. God says in the Qur’an to “speak out against injustice, even if it may be against yourselves and your kin.” God mandates it upon us to speak out, thereby implying that humans have the freedom of speech.<br />The Constitution espouses many Islamic ideals and we, the people, reap the benefits of those ideals. The government is there to serve the people and we should not have to bow down to the government, thanking them for “giving” us “our” rights. God gave these rights to humanity and it is incumbent upon a leader and his/her people to understand and ensure that this notion is not forgotten.<br /><br />As Muslims, it’s important to think of ourselves as part of a community, not just the Muslim or American community but the community of people of all religious and ethnic backgrounds. Once we mentally limit ourselves to the single label of “American”, we prioritize culture over religion, artificiality over reality and nationalistic sentiment over humanitarian goals. Nationalism breed patriotism, a sense of ownership over where one lives. Like I mentioned before, we don't own our origins or the land of our homes.<br />Moreover, these places do not single-handedly define who we are. Of course, growing up in America has shaped me into who I am today, but many other things did, as well. But these are origins, things we look back to and if we keep looking back to where we came from, we’ll never move forward and progress to who we can be. We have the freedom as human beings to change. God will never change a people until the people change themselves. We have to change this attitude of “I am American, hear me roar”. I am an American, I am an Egyptian and I am an Iranian, but I am first a human being. A respected scholar, Dr. Maher Hathout, once defined Islam as “the communication with the one unique God and the defense of human rights”. Because the elements of social justice and the preservation of freedoms are of utmost priority in Islam, I am a Muslim first and I am not afraid to call myself a Muslim. I am also responsible for alleviating misconceptions about Islam or any group of people for that matter, because it is my duty to humanity.<br />This doesn’t mean that I put Islam before America or that I am less patriotic than my neighbor. A government and its people serve each other. They give to one another, so long as the nature of that giving is constructive and positive. The government shouldn’t take from its people and vice versa.<br />Our way of life is that of a Muslim, and we just happen to live in America. And we are thankful to God that He has put us in a place where our freedoms have been preserved by our government. I am blessed to live here, but I will not forget that others across the world have these same rights taken away. And I will not judge others from the point of view of an American, but from the point of view of a human being and a Muslim. So, I guess I’m Muslim and I just happen to be American, too.<br /><br />Make sense or do you think I'm creating more divisions?Yasminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11072554587379720357noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5038482551314428221.post-86090856115551239012008-12-07T19:52:00.000-08:002008-12-07T21:38:21.801-08:00Eid Mubarak!Salams/peace ya'llsin. (don't ask i just like saying that word, online.) <div><div><div><div><br /><div align="left">I'm still waiting/wanting to reply my thoughts after reading Russell's post, but until then - </div><div align="left"><br /> </div><span style="font-size:180%;"><strong></strong></span><div align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;"><strong>EID MUBARAK!</strong> </span></div><div align="center">(pronounced eed mu-ba-ruk)</div><div align="center">meaning Happy Eid!</div><br /><br /><div align="left"><strong>What's EID</strong></div><div align="left">Muslims have two holidays - <em>Eid ul-Fitr </em>and <em>Eid ul-Adha.</em></div><br /><div align="left"><em>Eid ul-Fitr</em> is a very happy day after the month of Ramadan where we praise God in a special prayer in the morning and meet and greet everyone in our community. After prayer, the food and social festivities began (heck yeah!). We celebrated <em>Eid ul-Fitr</em> back in October. Jesse, I am sure you can recall this - just think back to the free dinners MSU had during the month of Ramadan to break fast in the evening (lol). </div><br /><div align="left"><em>Eid ul-Adha</em> starts this Monday December 8th. In this three-day holiday, we celebrate and commemorate the day Abraham was asked by God to sacrifice what was most, most precious and dear to his heart in this world, his son Isaac. IMAGINE, after Abraham told Isaac about this, Isaac told him to go ahead and sacrifice him if this was God's will! And as difficult as it was for him, Abraham complied, and God the Most Merciful had Isaac replaced by a sheep and his son was safe and sound.</div><br /><div align="left"><a href="http://www.maxwaugh.com/images/500mm01/goat.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 117px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 105px" alt="" src="http://www.maxwaugh.com/images/500mm01/goat.jpg" border="0" /></a>I find this historical event SO beautiful:</div><div align="left">1)<em> What a test of faith</em> - sacrificing what is most precious to you requires true and firm faith in God<br />2) <em>God is SO MERCIFUL</em>. He tested Abraham, and all He wanted to see is if Abraham would go through with it, and once He saw that he was willing to, he restored his son to him safely.<br /><br />In commemoration of Abraham's sacrifice, Muslims are obligated to either sacrifice a sheep/goat/cow or donate money for poor people to do so. This process is called <em>Qurbani </em>(meaning sacrifice). We then distribute the meat amongst neighbors, the poor, and cook some for dinner. <a href="http://www.davedragon.org/pink/TheHajj.JPG"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 405px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 359px" alt="" src="http://www.davedragon.org/pink/TheHajj.JPG" border="0" /></a></div>BTW, Eid ul-Adha also goes hand-in-hand with Hajj, a trip to Mecca that every able-Muslim must perform in their lifetime. This year, 4 million people are performing Hajj - OH DANG! All those rows and rows of white things in the picture... yeah, that's people. This btw is the life-tranforming trip that Malcolm went on that caused him to realize that racial problems could be transcended.<br /><br /><div>Now that you know what we're celebrating, here's...</div><br /><div><strong>How I'm gonna celebrate:</strong> </div><br /><div>So, in the morning, I'm going to eat some special sweets that my mom prepares each Eid and then get ready for Eid prayer. My family and I will then go to the Anaheim Convention Center, one of the local places Eid prayer is held. I'll be wearing some shiny new clothes (and Pakistani clothes are literally shiny, too, LOL), will hear a short sermon about this special holiday, pray me some prayer, and then.... come to school to study for my final at 4pm! </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://images.meredith.com/bhg/images/recipe/p_R104360.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 193px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 171px" alt="" src="http://images.meredith.com/bhg/images/recipe/p_R104360.jpg" border="0" /></a>My dad is going to go to some farm in Corona/Riverside/somewhere not in Orange County with his brother to sacrifice a goat. When the goat comes home, I leave, because I really don't like the smell of goat meat. My mom will then cook something fabulous while I enjoy some random food - I'm feeling Fish Grill. </div><br /><p align="left">Now, as my friend put it, "it feels like finals are the grinch who stole Eid!" I'm hoping we don't let this happen and throw in lots of food-related adventures and random breaks for the sake of cele<a href="http://www.tigerwires.com/1667101031113638153/lib/1667101031113638153/grinch3.gif"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 100px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 215px" alt="" src="http://www.tigerwires.com/1667101031113638153/lib/1667101031113638153/grinch3.gif" border="0" /></a>brating. This also brings to mind a challenge Muslims in America face: finding a way to celebrate Eid right. Currently, things tend to be quite boring, which is a shame to say the least. I agree with my sister, maybe we do need to put up some "Eid lights" on our house lol. </p><p align="left">Anyways, Eid Mubarak ya'll.<br />Peace, Love, and Light. </p></div></div></div></div>Nida Chowdhry http://www.blogger.com/profile/08131853863650700732noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5038482551314428221.post-75975019752973113872008-12-01T23:08:00.000-08:002008-12-01T23:57:21.638-08:00Reflections and Realizations DeuxI'm tired.<br /><br />I really don't know what to do with myself right now and it's really bugging me. The combination of being sick for almost two weeks now and it being week 10 are pretty damn frustrating. Studying a week before my first finals seems fruitless and unmotivated, while staring at facebook chat windows only provides temporary relief.<br /><br />I think that there's really just some serious growing pains that I'm going through, and everything else is a result of that. Don't get me wrong, I have plenty to be thankful for and plenty to appreciate... but the same main question keeps popping into my head and I can't answer it: "What am I doing and is it enough?"<br /><br />I recently realized that throughout my <em>entire</em> life, I've only done enough of everything/anything to keep those evaluating me (parents, teachers, peers, professors, etc.) satisfied with what I was doing and what they asked of me. I found out early on that it would only take a minimal effort to not only please them, but actually convince them that I was doing an excellent job. The end result of this trend is that I don't know what it's like to try my hardest... on anything.<br /><br />Now as the "real world" full of responsibility and accountability approaches, I have a lot to learn. It is a really scary situation because now the only person who evaluates my performance is me. I answer only to myself. So what am I doing and is it good enough? We'll see.<br /><br />Every choice made is confronted with this question, and I have an opportunity to redefine what "enough" means for me, otherwise repeat 21-year-old habits.Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07599624839987019124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5038482551314428221.post-202307262286089362008-11-20T00:16:00.000-08:002008-11-20T00:51:49.637-08:00Reflections and RealizationsI've been feeling something heavy for some time that I can't explain. There have just been a lot of things on my mind, a lot of things that I have been turning over in my head. I just got out of a really inspirational conversation/dialogue with some awesome sisters from the MSU and Amir Abdel Malik Ali, our brother. It really meant a lot to me in a lotta ways. A couple thoughts before I resume doing other things:<br /><br />I am really touched, and refreshed, and relieved, and I don't even know how to tell you what else, at the true, genuine respect Amir Abdel Malik Ali has for female activists. I have really been disilusioned these days by the male-dominated sphere of politics and power-play. I have become sick of seeing men make rules and laws and policies and definitions that influence society and the world at large. I've become sick of seeing a male figure slapped on the face of Islamic rulings. And of the Muslim male figure in the media at large being associated with narrow-mindedness in my mind.<br /><br />I really just needed to see the faith our respected brother and friend displays in women, the regard he has for women as women, for them to be as valuable in the people's movement, and not measured by men, but valued in their own... this reinforced for me the belief that I must cultivate myself to be a strong Muslim woman working for the betterment of myself, my family and my community, to "be the change" I wish to see.<br /><br />The second thing is that I realized tonight, something I've been grappling with, that I have come to see in my mind some large portion of the American population as a vague body that is as dense as a brick and just unwilling to understand or be open to anything real/truthful/meaningful. I knew this was problematic because, exactly that, I've been placing a monolith understanding upon such a large amount of people. But on the real, that's what I've been feeling. Now the issue is, even this if this is a reality, one that I can't even begin to quantify in the first place, how do I know who falls into that group of people? Yeah, that's an issue. Then I start judging, and then I just start to get demoralized and think that nobody is listening when we are trying to raise awareness about something.<br /><br />Anywho, I realize that, as the media has villainized Islam and Muslims, I being of the stereotyped have displaced my feelings onto some random large vague portion of the American people. That is to say, I stereotyped the other people that intake this media material as people that are judgemental/dense/etc.<br /><br />What I mean to say is, because of the stereotypes that come out of the media, I as someone that is being stereotyped and am so deeply aware of the stereotyping, and my reaction is, to judge all of the people that consume the media. So the media works in two ways for me: it stereotypes my faith, and it leaves me with a feeling of disilusionment, hopelessness, and faithlessness in my OWN people.<br /><br />Dayum. That's got to stop!<br /><br />Anyways, I realized that today. Gotta believe in my people yo.<br /><br /><br />Peace/Salams<br />Nida ChowdhryNida Chowdhry http://www.blogger.com/profile/08131853863650700732noreply@blogger.com0